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BGonline.org Forums
Popularizing Backgammon = TV
Posted By: Joe Russell In Response To: Popularizing Backgammon = TV (Phil Simborg)
Date: Friday, 9 October 2009, at 9:14 a.m.
Howard Ring and I were best friends. Besides traveling together to many backgammon tournaments, in the U.S. and abroad, and sporting events, we talked several times a week, often for an hour or more. Our discussions involved sports, backgammon, poker, families, riddles, and interesting books we had recently read. I really enjoyed those conversations, they were quite stimulating. In the course of several of those we discussed how backgammon could be televised in a way that would seem exciting. Howard had more faith in the possibility this could be done than I. But, we both agreed that it would not 'fly' like poker. Poker is such a simple game to televise. The viewer sees the whole cards and knows, or at least think they know, what each player chances of winning are. They feel 'smarter' than the players. The betting generally moves quickly around the table with pauses for tough decisions and dramatic moments like whether or not to call an all-in. How is backgammon similar? The game is much more complex to learn to play well. Can enough viewers follow it? Where is the excitement for the viewer that is found in poker? My belief was that if it were to succeed it would have to be done in way that was similar to a reality series, where charismatic backgammon players were followed for some period of time and their lifestyles were glamorized. Maybe the series would follow four players, each for a few segments and culminate with them playing each other for some significant prize. The backgammon would almost have to be secondary to the personalities of the players. The problem with this is that it would a one and done, unlike poker. Perhaps, with massive editing, backgammon could be made interesting to non-players, but I am not sure it would succeed for long.
I am in agreement with those that think the internet is the major way to get more people playing in tournaments. Form a national organization(USBGA), find ways to communicate with the 10's of thousands of players that play online, develop or direct them to sites that help them improve their games. Get them to join the USBGA. Make no-entry fee tournaments available to them online and low entry fee live regional events, with national rating points at stake. Do this and I believe many will gravitate to become active live-tournament players. What is many? One-tenth of one percent might increase attendance at live-tournaments significantly. If we ever got one percent, fahget bout it, it's way back, it might be, it could be,.........
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